


Fourteen

by yalltookmyusernameideas



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, dukeceit is on the side but it's there, focus on logicality with more prinxiety than intended but we love it, i hope you like it!!, just fyi they're in space, merry christmas and happy holidays dear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 21:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21875782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yalltookmyusernameideas/pseuds/yalltookmyusernameideas
Summary: Upon coming of age, you will see a number on your wrist showing how far away you are from your soulmate. The only catch? You don't know the unit of the measurement. Your soulmate could be...astronomicallyfar away.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Platonic Moxiety - Relationship, platonic royality
Comments: 32
Kudos: 364
Collections: Sanders Sides Secret Santa 2019





	Fourteen

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my Sanders Santas gift for @all-time-logan on Tumblr!! Happy holidays dear, I hope you like it, because boy howdy I sure had fun writing it! 
> 
> Thank you so much to [@oh-theatre](https://oh-theatre.tumblr.com/) and [@the-duke-of-deodorant](https://the-duke-of-deodorant.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr for helping me beta!! Both are lovely humans and were such a great help!!

It was a big deal, coming of age. That was when you learned how far you were from your soulmate. That’s when you learned if you could celebrate, because you had a low number, and they were bound to be nearby, or if you would sigh sadly in disappointment at unfathomably large numbers. Of course, the value only meant so much. You’d never really know how close your soulmate was. It was just a number, there were no units. Just a guess at best. 

So coming of age was a big deal, or in Patton’s case, his eighteenth birthday. He had his best friends, Virgil and Emile, over to spend the night, They’d be up, talking, laughing, playing games, really doing anything to stay up past midnight. Midnight was when the number would appear on Patton’s wrist, at least that’s what they’d heard. Patton was the oldest out of the three of them, none of them knew what to expect! 

But regardless, this was a big deal. And Patton was very excited. He was very excited to see some numbers, for the first time in his life. 

Virgil and Emile arrived around 6:00, Emile already babbling excitedly to Patton, talking about going on a road trip the next day if the numbers were small enough. Virgil, of course, voiced his concerns and cautious support of the idea. Patton laughed and reassured him they wouldn’t do anything if the number was larger than thirty. 

Patton ushered his friends inside and they began the debate of what pizza to order. 

“Virgil, we got pineapple last time!” Emile whined, pouting. 

“All I’m saying is that last time we made the right decision, and I think we ought to keep that up. Get a streak or something going, y’know?” Virgil defended his pizza topping choices. 

“Well, this is Patton’s birthday celebration, let’s let him decide!” Emile proclaimed, effectively ending the debate. 

Patton laughed. “You both know what we’re getting if I get to choose.” Patton warned playfully. 

Emile’s face paled in realization at the mistake he’d just made. “Oh no…” 

Patton beamed. Virgil did the opposite. “Emile. How could you.” he deadpanned. 

Patton laughed. “Black olives and anchovies!” 

Virgil and Emile groaned but didn’t object. This was for Patton, after all. Their pizza arrived, and Patton ate happily while the other two picked off everything but the cheese. They watched movies and cartoons and played silly games, and waited with bated breath as the clock ticked closer and closer to midnight. 

They were starting to nod off when Patton gasped as two inky black digits appeared on his wrist. 

_14_

Patton looked at his wrist in disbelief, then smiled and hugged his friends. 

“They can’t be too far, they just can’t! Oh, we could go out and see if we can get close tomorrow! Guys!! That would be amazing!! I might meet my soulmate!!” Patton was bubbling with excitement. 

They did their best to get some rest, and after a hurried breakfast the next morning, they set out in Emile’s pickup truck. Virgil only agreed to go if Patton wasn't the one driving, and seeing as he was too anxious to drive himself Emile became their chauffeur. 

They left the house and drove for a mile. Then two. Then three. Five miles later, the mood in the car was somber, silent. Virgil had his arms around a silently sobbing Patton, and Emile did his best to get them home as soon as he could. 

“Why won’t it… why won’t it change?” Patton asked desperately. 

Virgil shook his head, sighing. “I don’t know, Pat. I don’t know.” 

Patton wailed into Virgil’s sweatshirt, pounding his fist weakly against his chest. They were still three miles out from Patton’s house, and on his wrist was still an inky black 14.

* * *

It was a big deal, coming of age. That was when you learned how far you were from your soulmate. That’s when you learned if you could celebrate, because you had a low number, and they were bound to be nearby, or if you would sigh sadly in disappointment at unfathomably large numbers. Of course, the value only meant so much. You’d never really know how close your soulmate was. It was just a number, there were no units. Just a guess at best. 

So coming of age was a big deal. Or, to most people it was. To Logan, it was just another day. He spent his night studying for an exam later in the week and finalizing one of his papers. His roommate, Dee, was more interested in Logan’s soul-distance than he was (no matter how much he tried to play it off.) 

Finally, Logan caved. He shoved his wrist in Dee’s face, sighing in exasperation. 

“Fourteen?” Dee asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Logan felt his heart jump into his throat. He had expected a much larger number, with how far everyone had spread. It was rare to get a number with only three digits, much less two. 

Dee smiled conspiratorially at him. 

“Email your professors, tell them you’re sick. We’re going out tomorrow. We’re gonna find your soulmate.”

Logan shook his head. “Absolutely not, that’s reckless and irresponsible. I’ll see if and how it changes during walks to and from classes tomorrow. Besides, there are only a few more days until the weekend. Then, we can be reckless and irresponsible, but I won’t be skipping class for something so trivial.” 

Dee groaned in frustration. “Fine. But we’re being irresponsible and reckless all weekend, then.” 

Logan bit back a fond chuckle. His roommate really was more interested in this than him. Still, he was quite curious, not that he’d ever let Dee know that. He had to keep up appearances, after all. 

“I have my first flight exam Sunday night, we can only be reckless until 5:00.” Logan countered. 

Dee stifled a laugh and proceeded to poke fun at Logan. The guy was such a nerd! Still, he agreed, and Logan returned to his studying and Dee to his procrastinating. 

Now, Logan would’ve been lying if he said he wasn't disappointed to see his soul-distance remain the same all through classes during the following days. 

“This just means it’s a larger distance, right Dee?” Logan asked one night. 

Dee nodded reassuringly. “Of course. I’m sure it’ll change all across the board when we go out this weekend. We can figure out the general direction of your soulmate and then go from there! Everything will be fine!” Dee sounded like he was grasping at straws, but Logan was too apprehensive to care. Fourteen was not a big number. They had to be close. They had to!

So Logan and Dee went out that weekend. When his number didn’t change after a few kilometers, Dee suggested it must be in miles, though neither of them really knew how big miles were compared to kilometers. Still, eventually, Logan was sure they must’ve gone more than a few miles, and his number was still the same. 

They went to lunch, talking and theorizing over the puzzle that was Logan’s soul-distance. 

“Maybe it’s some wacky ancient measurement? That happens every once in a while.” Dee suggested. Logan shrugged. 

“Do you know any of those? And wouldn’t we have passed most of them at least once by now?” logan countered. 

Dee grimaced. “Yeah… but you never know…” 

Logan sighed in defeat. If he didn’t know better, he’d say his soulmate was… _astronomically_ far away.

* * *

Patton was in college now. He and Virgil were roommates! They hadn’t planned it that way, but when they both decided on the same school they immediately applied to room together. Patton was so happy it had worked out, even if they still couldn’t agree on what pizza to order. 

Virgil was a great roommate! He made sure they kept their room organized, and that they both at least had dinner, and that they went to bed before sunrise; all things Patton lost track of. Patton, in turn, made sure neither of them overworked themselves and that they communicated well. Paton was so glad that they were roommates, he wasn't sure what he’d do with anyone else.

A lot had changed for them since starting college. Virgil had gotten his soul number about a week in. He was probably one of the youngest kids on campus. He and Patton had stayed up, eating cups of ramen and talking, Virgil jumping in surprise when he saw a six-digit number on his wrist. He started to tear up, moving his hands to scrub at his eyes. 

Patton’s eyes widened as Virgil’s numbers changed. 

“Virgil…” He whispered. 

Virgil looked up to Patton, eyes wide and sad. Patton gently took Virgil’s hand and moved it forward and backward in front of them. Virgil’s eyes grew even wider as he watched the numbers on his wrist morph and change almost constantly. 

“It’s… in inches?” Virgil guessed. He sat there in astonishment, his tears drying and his mouth agape. He looked up at Patton with a slightly crazed grin. 

“Hallway?” He asked, eyes bright and crazed grin growing more maniacal by the moment. 

Patton’s grin grew to match his roommate’s. 

“Hallway.” He confirmed. 

They quietly ran into the hallway, snickering and making sure to leave their door unlocked. 

“Which way first?” Virgil asked, wringing his hands nervously. 

Patton pointed to the left. “Check your wrist first though!” He warned. 

Virgil did just that. 

“One hundred ninety thousand, one hundred and two. Inches.” Virgil read off proudly, then giggled. It really wouldn’t be that much if you figured it out in feet, or miles, or any larger measurement, he was sure. Still, it was insane. 

Patton nodded seriously. “Okay, go!” Patton whisper-shouted. 

Virgil ran all the way down to the other end of the hallway, arms out like an airplane, doing his best to stifle his giggles. He brought his wrist up to eye level and then frowned, letting out an annoyed huff. 

“It got bigger!” He whisper-yelled to Patton. 

Patton scrunched his nose in displeasure. “Okay, try the other way!” 

Virgil nodded and began to run back toward Patton, arms out like an airplane yet again. Patton silently cheered him on as he passed by their doorway and reached the other end of the hallway. Patton watched intently for Virgil’s reaction. 

Virgil pumped his fist in the air and did a happy little dance. He looked back to Patton, giving him a thumbs up. 

Patton grinned widely, pressing his hands to his mouth to keep himself from squealing. Virgil could find his soulmate! His soulmate must be close, especially if it was in inches like they thought. 

Virgil made his way back over to Patton. “How- how close do you think they are?” 

Patton shrugged. “I dunno, what’s your number at now?” He asked as they returned to their room. 

“Uuuuh, one, eight, nine, nine, nine, four.” Virgil read off the digits on his wrist. 

After some quick googling and repetition of the numbers, Patton had an answer. 

“It looks like they’re about three miles from you, if that is indeed inches.” Patton reported. 

Virgil’s expression split into a bright grin. “Thank you, Pat. _So much._ ”

Patton smiled. “Of course Virgil. I’m so happy for you!” he replied, hugging his friend close. 

“What do you think they’ll be like?” Virgil asked. 

Patton tapped his chin in thought. “Y’know, I’ve got no idea. But I know they’ll be perfect for you,” he assured Virgil.

Virgil blushed but hugged his friend closer. “Thanks, Pat.” he said with a tired smile. 

They two finally retired for the night, Virgil quietly giggling as he moved his arm back and forth watching the numbers change. 

Patton sighed fondly. He was beyond overjoyed for Virgil, really, he was! But he looked down at his own wrist, moving it as Virgil was. 

An unchanging, inky black _14_ stared back up at him. 

Patton let out a soft sad sigh. “Someday…” he reassured himself. “Someday…”

* * *

Logan had just graduated. He was about to be let on to his first assignment. Dee had come to see him off, though he definitely wouldn’t be going with him. Dee had found his soulmate in their final year of school and would be staying on-world to find a job and settle down. 

Logan was happy for them! He was glad Dee and Remus were finding a spot in the world together. He just wished that maybe he could find his person to carve a spot out with. He looked toward the ship that would be his home for the foreseeable future. Often, ships were gone for five-year tours, but his was a deep space mission. As far as he knew, he’d be out there for the rest of his life. 

Logan made sure to check his bags and grab anything he’d immediately need, then headed over to the balcony. The balcony was where people said goodbye to family and friends. Remus and Dee had come to see him off, for which he was very grateful. 

Logan smiled as he approached his friends. 

“Logey!” Remus cried, wrapping himself in a hug around Logan. 

Dee laughed and Logan gave a fond sigh. “Nice to see you too, Remus.” 

Remus detached himself from Logan and smiled widely. 

“So, spaceman, how you feeling?” Remus asked, trying to hide the nerves in his voice. 

Logan took a deep breath. “Honestly? I’m nervous. I understand that I’ll still be able to have contact with you both, but it will be… different. Not what I’m used to, y’know?” 

Dee nodded. “Yeah Lo, we know. But you’ve worked hard to get here. You’re gonna be great.” 

Logan breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you think so. That at least makes one of us.” He chuckled. 

“Um, excuse you! There’s _two_ of us who believe in you!” Remus insisted. 

Logan smiled, the easy banter with his friends really helping to calm his nerves. “Oh of course, my mistake.” 

Remus gave a toothy grin. “And who knows, maybe you’ll be gettin’ closer to good ol’ Fourteen.” He added, gesturing to Logan’s wrist. 

Logan chuckled and shook his head. Since his soul-distance never changed, they’d taken to referring to them as “fourteen.” At first Logan didn’t like it, but now he was rather fond of the nickname. 

“Maybe so…” Logan mumbled. 

An announcement pinged over the intercom, and Logan gave a bittersweet smile. That was his signal, he had to board the ship. 

Logan cleared his throat. Remus and Dee listened intently.

“Thank you, both of you, for being here. It really does mean a lot to me. I have to go now, though. I love you both dearly, thank you for being such wonderful friends.” Logan recited quietly. 

Dee and Remus quickly embraced Logan, whispering small reassurances and well-wishes. 

They finally pulled away when Logan’s signal pinged across the intercom again. Dee gave a reassuring smile and Remus offered an enthusiastic thumbs up. 

Logan smiled confidently and nodded to them, then turned and headed to board the ship. This was the start of a new adventure for him, and who knows! Maybe it really did involve finding Fourteen, whoever they were.

* * *

Patton was in class when it happened. He was in his third year of his psychology degree, and he hoped to get into med school soon after. He needed to, if he wanted to be a psychiatrist. 

Suffice to say, Patton was focused on the lesson. He prided himself on his note-taking abilities, even at the most boring of lectures like this one. He still wanted to give it his best effort, though!

Patton sighed and ran a hand through his hair, eyes catching the inky black thirteen on his wrist as he looked up at the professor. 

_Wait…_

Patton pulled his hand out of his hair and brought his wrist up to eye level. He’d been right. It wasn’t a trick of the light or wishful thinking. Staring back at him, for the first time ever, was a new inky black two-digit number. 

_13_

Oh, Patton couldn’t wait to get home that night, He couldn’t wait to show Virgil and Roman. Roman was Virgil’s soulmate, who he found no more than two weeks after his soul-distance appeared. Roman lived across campus and spent the first few weeks searching for Virgil, seeing as he was already eighteen when he arrived. Roman was a hopeless romantic, so even if Virgil didn’t quite know how to respond, he knew Roman would love it. 

The moment the professor dismissed the class, Patton got out his phone. Virgil would know tonight, but he hardly saw Emile anymore! They needed to catch up, and now was a good a time as any!

Patton pressed his thumb to Emile’s contact and waited as the phone rang. After three rings, Emile finally picked up. 

“Patton?!” Emile called from the other end of the line. “I was just about to call you! It’s been so long since we talked! How are you?” 

Patton giggled. Emile was the same bubbly guy he’d always been. It was nice to know his friend was still there for him, even if they didn’t talk as much as they’d like. 

“Okay okay, Emile, you’re not gonna believe this!” Patton began. He could hear Emile gasp on the other end of the line. 

“Oh, please say something along the lines of what I think you’re gonna say!” Emile cheered. 

Patton had no idea what Emile thought he would say, so he just blurted it out! “My number changed! It’s going down!” 

Emile gasped and then went silent. After a moment of silence, he spoke. “Patton… Patton that’s _amazing!_ I’m so happy for you!” 

Patton let out a breathless, hysterical laugh as he recounted the (admittedly) dull course of events for Emile. Emile didn’t mind, though. This was incredibly important to Patton, he would listen until Patton was done. 

“So, what about you? How have you been?” Patton asked once he’d finished his story. 

Emile grinned. “Well, a lot has happened since we last talked!” 

Emile went on to tell Patton about how he’d struggled in classes and eventually dropped out. It just… wasn't for him. He was okay with that. He’d opened a small book shop next to a little corner cafe. He liked that spot because it was the place where he’d seen his soul-distance, which was in feet, get the smallest. He thought it was good luck. 

He told Patton about how it took him months before he actually visited the cafe, and how when he did he met the owner and his soulmate, Remy. Patton could hear the love in Emile’s voice as he talked about Remy.

Remy was smart and sassy with a heart of gold. He didn’t rush Emile, and he seemed to always know how to help Emile feel better when he got down on himself. Combined with what Patton already knew about his friend, they seemed like a wonderful match. 

“He sounds lovely, Emile! Oh, I can’t wait to meet him! Has Virgil told you about Roman? I’ll let him do that later if he hasn’t but I think you two would get along really well!” 

The two friends talked for a while longer, until Patton had to catch the bus back to his apartment. There was a pep in his step and a smile on his face as he looked down at his wrist to his new inky black thirteen. 

_“Someday…_!”

* * *

Logan stared at his arm. He blinked, once, twice, three times. This wasn’t a trick. 

Logan sighed to himself and got up to find Captain Sanders. He might be able to answer some of Logan’s questions. 

Logan wandered the ship a bit, finding Captain Sanders exactly where he thought he’d be. The bridge. 

“Captain Sanders?” Logan called, hoping to get his attention. 

Captain Sanders turned around, smiling. “Logan! How can I help you? And please remember, you can call me Thomas, we’re gonna be on the same ship for so long it’ll feel like we’re a family, and I’m really not one for formalities.”

Logan nodded. “Yes, well Thomas, I was wondering just about how far we were from home? In the largest whole measurement you can calculate?” 

Thomas gave Logan a bit of a look but answered his question nonetheless. It took a bit of digging through the ship’s data, but eventually, Thomas had an answer. 

“We’re just over one lightyear out from the docking station,” Thomas answered. 

The color drained from Logan’s face. “One lightyear?” he asked, voice rising a few octaves. 

Thomas nodded. “Yep! Why? Is everything alright?” he asked, concern evident in his voice. 

Many thoughts went through Logan’s head following this question. Thomas was right, the crew on this ship was very close. Like a family. The first months out in open space, many of them mourned their soul-distances as they increased. During that time, they had all wondered why Logan seemed unaffected, and Logan confided in them that his had always been the same, no matter where he went. They marveled at the inky black fourteen on his wrist and had all eventually taken to calling Logan’s soulmate ‘Fourteen,’ much like he had done with Remus and Dee. 

Logan took a shaky breath and showed Thomas his wrist. Thomas’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. 

“Logan… your soul-distance is in _lightyears??_ ”

* * *

“Okay, but _why_ did it change?” Virgil asked, distraught. 

“Well Virgil, usually when the unit of your soul-distance is traversed by one or more, the number will increase or decrease accordingly,” Roman replied teasingly. 

Virgil scowled, and his soul-distance decreased to zero as he playfully smacked Roman. 

“I get that. I mean why did _Patton’s_ change? It’s been the same for three years, and he hasn’t exactly gone far in those years. Hell, most of them he’s been _here,_ at _school_. Why would it change now?” Virgil explained. 

Roman gave a coy shrug. “I dunno Virgil. Not like there’s someone else on the other end that could move to change it.” 

Virgil gave Roman an unimpressed look. “So, what, they were in perfect sync for three years so that the distance between them never got less than fourteen _whatevers_ and now all of a sudden it’s changed?” 

This time Roman’s shrug was genuine. “I mean, there are some pretty big measurements out there! They’re just really uncommon!”

Virgil scoffed. “Right, like one ‘Mount Everest’? Or one ‘Atlantic Ocean’? That’s a bit far fetched, even for me to believe!” Virgil declared. He was quite worked up. He didn’t want his friend to be hurt by the number going back to fourteen in a week’s time, or worse, increasing _past_ fourteen.

Roman sighed exasperatedly at his boyfriend. 

“No, silly, like… lightyears? Or parsecs? Y’know, space measurements? Those are real, right, those are real things and not just made up for sci-fi, right?” Roman declared uncertainly. 

Virgil was about to retort, tell Roman he was being silly, but then he paused and thought. Roman… was right. Those _were_ real measurements, so it _was_ possible, no matter how uncommon or unprecedented.

Virgil nodded cautiously. “I might regret this… but I think you might be right.” 

Roman laughed and pulled Virgil close for a kiss. Virgil blushed and pretended to be annoyed as his Prince Charming placed a wet sloppy kiss to his cheek. 

“Ewwwww, Roman!” Virgil protested, laughing all the while.

“You love meeee…” Roman insisted in a sing-song tone. 

Virgil smiled and caught Roman’s lips in a quick kiss. 

“Yeah, I think I do,” Virgil mumbled against Roman’s lips. Roman smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss.

They were sitting in the kitchen when Patton returned from his late classes, though they had long since stopped their soppy display in favor of starting dinner. 

“Hi Roman! Hi Virgil!” Patton called as he set his book bag down near their couch. 

“Hi, Patton!” The two chorused from the kitchen. 

A shoving match ensued, but over what Patton had no clue. Finally, Virgil was shoved out in front of Roman, facing Patton. Patton raised an eyebrow. Virgil sighed. 

“Alright, fine. Patton… _Roman_ has something he’d like to tell you!” Virgil deflected, stepping aside before Roman could grab him and make him explain.

Roman looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment before he too sighed in defeat, beginning an explanation that Patton apparently needed. 

“Okay, so. You know how your number was stagnant for so long and now it’s gone down one?” Roman began. 

Patton sighed and nodded. These two had been obsessed with the ‘why’ of his new number all week. “Yeah, Roman, I was there when it happened,” Patton replied tiredly. 

“Okay, and hear me out, Vee and I think we’ve finally thought of a measurement that fits it!” Roman exclaimed. 

Patton raised an unimpressed eyebrow. He was getting a little tired of this. He loved his friends dearly, but this was getting ridiculous! 

“And what might that be, Roman?” Patton asked, though his heart wasn't in it. He really just wanted this conversation to be over. 

Roman paused briefly for dramatic effect before spreading his hands like he was making an invisible rainbow as he spoke. 

“Lightyears…” Roman proclaimed, adding some fun little sound effects at the end. 

“Or parsecs!” Virgil interjected. 

“Yeah or that.” Roman agreed, getting up out of his presentation stance. 

Patton sighed. “Alright, I’ll admit it’s a neat idea. We really don’t have any way to prove it, though.”

Roman and Virgil didn’t miss the desperate, hope-tinged air to Patton’s tone. He wanted to believe it as much as they did. He wanted to meet his soulmate and be happy just like they were. 

Virgil offered a smile and pulled Patton into the kitchen. 

“You’re right, there’s not much we can do either way. But we _can_ enjoy a nice dinner together, right?” Virgil declared, though calling English muffin pizzas (each with a different assortment of toppings) and frozen peas ‘nice’ might be a stretch. 

Patton gave a relieved smile. “Yeah, we sure can!” 

The three of them enjoyed their hasty, budgeted dinner, talking and laughing. And if Roman and Virgil caught Patton’s hopeful glances toward his wrist, they were wise enough to not mention it.

* * *

“You’re sure it’s this one?” Logan asked, pointing at the pale blue dot on the viewscreen. 

Captain Sanders- Thomas shrugged. “Earth is the only life-bearing planet within thirteen lightyears of us. It’s a wee bit closer now, but I'd imagine that’s because we’ve kinda been traveling toward it as we figured out how close other planets are to us.” 

Logan gave a dazed nod. “So… what do we do now?” He asked timidly. 

Thomas smiled. “We’re a deep space ship, we can do whatever we wait.” 

Logan raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Are we actually going to…” 

“We’re going to change course to get closer to Earth!” Thomas declared. 

Logan’s mouth dropped open. “I cannot believe you. I… Thomas this is absurd! We already know what Earth is like!” Logan declared, and Thomas gave Logan a knowing look. 

“...we have a general idea of what Earth is like.” 

“Logan…” 

“Okay we know Earth exists and supports life! That’s more than enough! We don’t need to change our whole mission just so I can see my number get smaller!” Logan insisted. 

Thomas sighed. “Logan, almost everyone on this crew knows their soulmate or knows they’ll be able to find them back home. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind changing course to afford you that chance. Alright?” 

Logan nodded, slowly at first, then quicker and with a growing smile. “Alright, okay, yeah… that is… that’s satisfactory.” Logan decided, not bothering to hide the bright grin on his face. 

Thomas smiled. “You hear that?!” he called out to anyone who would listen, which was a lot of people since he was the captain. “We’re gonna find Fourteen!”

* * *

Patton’s number was an inky black seven. He’d gotten used to the change happening just slightly more frequently than once a year (about every 347 days if Emile’s calculations were right). That’s not to say he was content with waiting. Now that he knew they were looking for him, now that he knew roughly when he’d see them, he was growing more and more excited, more and more impatient. 

Patton was _especially_ excited and impatient this whole week. His number would be ticking down to a six any day now! His phone buzzed with a text from Virgil. 

_Two questions: has your number changed yet and are you up for dinner with all us hopeless gays?_

Patton snorted at his friend’s text. 

_No, yes. Who’s ‘all us?’_

Not a moment later, he received Virgil’s reply.

_Me, Roman, Emile, Remy. 6:00 at that pizza place masquerading as a bougie bar downtown?”_

Patton chuckled. They all loved the pizza place. 

_Yeah, see you then!_

Virgil replied with a thumbs-up emoji, and Patton put his phone away. He continued his work, which was mostly clinical busywork and his med school work. Patton was shocked when he learned he’d be going to school in the city where Emile and Remy had opened their combination coffee and book shop and was ecstatic to learn that Virgil and Roman would be able to regularly visit. He really loved his friends. 

After a few more hours of work and one hour of stressing over what to wear and if he was going to leave on time, Patton left ten minutes late in the same cardigan and khakis he always wore. He caught a cab to the pizza place and rushed through the door, looking for his friends to wave him over. 

They had, of course, claimed the big booth in the corner. A chorus of shouts greeted him as his friends did, in fact, wave him over. 

“Hi, guys!” Patton greeted as he squeezed in next to Remy. 

The five of them made easy conversation as they ordered and while waiting for their food to arrive. When their food finally made it to their table they cheered. After all, making five pizzas for one group is quite a task. Even with the addition of two soulmates to their group, none of them could agree on pizza toppings. 

They all cheered, and Patton pumped his fist in the air, his wrist visible for everyone as his inky black seven quietly ticked to a six. 

“Patton!” Roman called, pointing excitedly to his wrist. 

Patton brought his wrist to eye level and broke out into a huge grin. His soulmate was getting closer, little by little! 

They all cheered yet again, ordering a few more drinks and a silly little cupcake for Patton in celebration. Patton returned to his apartment around 11:00 that night, smiling in the aftermath of all the fun he had with his friends. 

As he prepared for bed he smiled down at his wrist, at his new inky black six. Someday was coming closer, bit by bit, and he couldn’t wait.

* * *

The crew present looked to Logan expectantly. 

“Has it changed yet?” Elliott asked for possibly the thousandth time. 

Logan heaved a heavy sigh. “I promise you, Elliott, I will tell you as soon as I notice any change.” 

Elliott nodded. “Right, right. Got it.” 

Everyone returned to their small talk and small tasks, each sparing Logan worried glances when they thought he wasn't looking. 

Logan bit back a frustrated sigh. Honestly, these days were more frustrating than celebratory for him. They’d calculated it out to within a week of when his number would change, and that whole week leading up to the event (which really wasn't that spectacular for anyone other than himself) his crewmates would be overbearing and pushy, inquiring about his feelings and the status of his soul-distance. Logan was tired of it. 

Logan stood from the table in the lounge. 

“I’m going to my quarters, so you all know in case you need me.” 

Logan was met with a few nods and mutters of affirmation, so he offered a small wave out of politeness more than anything else and retreated to his room as quickly as socially acceptable. 

Logan sunk into his desk chair and sighed in relief. He grabbed his tablet and pen and began to write, mostly nonsense but some questions he wanted to ask his soulmate and some silly little doodles of romantic fantasies he would never admit he had. Maybe flowers or some silly little token of his affections… he wasn't really sure.

Logan’s tablet lit up with a caller ID. Remus and Dee, as usual. He picked up the call without hesitation, smiling at the sight of his friends’ faces. 

“Logey!! How’s the number doing?” Remus shouted. 

Logan laughed. He’d never find that question annoying coming from one of them. 

“Still a lovely little seven, unfortunately. Any day now it should change.” Logan replied. 

They talked for hours, Remus and Dee giving Logan updates on what life was like back home, how their lives were going, and what all had changed since they last talked. Logan, in turn, told them about the aspects of his research that weren’t classified. 

They were into their third hour of conversation when Logan yawned. He was tired, but he was determined to fully catch up with his friends. He tried to wake himself up by stretching, leaning back in his chair to get the full effect. 

Remus pointed excitedly at something on the screen on his end of the call. Dee followed his finger and chuckled. 

“Your wrist, Logan,” Dee stated. 

Logan looked to his wrist and smiled. “Well, would you look at that…” He mumbled through a yawn. 

Dee raised an eyebrow. “Alright, knowing you it’s been a few days since you’ve slept. It’s bedtime for you.” 

Logan snorted but didn’t argue. “Alright. Goodnight you two…” he called through another yawn. Maybe Dee was right. 

“Goodnight, L.” That was Dee. 

“Nighty, Logey!!” And there was Remus, and then the call ended. 

Logan looked to his wrist with a goofy grin as he flopped down on his bed. He yawned and felt his eyelids grow heavy. Oh well… he could tell his crewmates in the morning. 

Logan fell into a sound sleep, dreams drifting to a soulmate he didn’t know yet but longed for nonetheless.

* * *

Patton was practically giddy. Soon. Soon soon soon! Soon, he would watch his soul number tick down from two to one!! Oh, he knew it wouldn’t be until later in the week but he was so excited! He knew, oh he knew it’d be another year before his soulmate arrived, but after waiting for so long he thought that his excitement was both justified and warranted. 

Patton was finally done with all his schooling and was working as a psychiatrist in one of the nearby hospitals. Weeks like this usually made it hard to concentrate on work, but he managed! He knew how to separate business from his personal life. 

Patton went about his week like usual, accepting the frequent calls and texts from his friends whenever he could, and answering the questions of his coworkers and patients when he was comfortable. Many of his close coworkers knew just as much as Patton did about his soulmate, and while it wasn't a lot, it was something that felt really personal to share. 

Patton woke up to a text from Virgil and three from Emile, all asking about his soul-distance. Patton typed out a quick reply. 

_Still the same, I’m afraid! Maybe today is the day though!_

Patton didn’t have time to wait for a reply, he had to get ready for the day. After a quick rinse in the shower and a hasty breakfast of a protein bar, he was out the door, mind drifting from the thought of his soulmate and towards the workday ahead. 

Patton hadn’t been prepared for it to happen at work. Really, anywhere _other_ than work would’ve been better. It would’ve been fine, really, had it changed how he was expecting. Maybe a quiet congratulations from his coworkers between sessions, or a pleased smile from one of the few patients who knew about his soulmate. Perhaps he’d even have time to send his friends a picture of the inky black one they all expected, wouldn’t that be nice? But that’s not what happened. That’s not what happened at all. 

Patton was, at the very least, grateful that he hadn’t been in a session. He is human, after all. He’s not sure he’d have been able to keep his composure. Every human has a point where they can’t handle something anymore, whether it be stress, or feelings, or a workload, or just a really chatty cousin. 

Patton was at lunch when it happened. His number changed. It didn’t change to a single, inky black one like he had thought it would, hoped it would, even _expected_ it would. One moment, he was lifting his glass of water, eyes catching the two that had been on his wrist for nearly a year. The next, he was setting his glass down as he swallowed and nearly choked on his drink. A new number stared back up at him. 

_5,879,000,000,000_

Tears flooded Patton’s vision as he looked at his wrist in despair. His soulmate had been _so close!_ Did they really just disappear like that? He hoped not… but what else could’ve happened?

* * *

“The measurement… _changed?_ ” Logan asked in disbelief. He’d only marginally panicked when he saw his measurement change from the tiny little two into an overwhelming thirteen-digit monstrosity It took him a few moments to realize that the numbers were steadily ticking down as they got closer and closer to Earth. 

Thomas shrugged. “Yeah, that’s my best guess- er, _hypothesis_. It’s uncommon, but there are a few documented cases of people with insanely huge measurements having theirs switch to something smaller when they get close so they can find their one person easier.”

Logan let out a tense sigh. He was still shaken from the shock of the sudden change. 

“Why didn’t you mention this sooner?” Logan asked. 

“I didn’t know for sure if it would happen, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up if it didn’t,” Thomas explained. 

Logan nodded, entranced by the constant change of the numbers on his wrist. 

“We’re… so _far_.” Logan lamented, for the first time grasping how much they must’ve traveled in order to be where they are now. 

Thomas chuckled. “It looks like a lot when it’s broken into smaller measurements, huh? We’ve traveled this a few times over in the last decade or so, Logan. We’ll be there sooner than you think!” 

Logan finally seemed to come back to himself. “You’re right, Thomas. It’ll… it’ll be soon.” Logan took a deep breath and gave one of his rare smiles. 

Thomas smiled back. “Yeah, soon.” 

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Thomas broke the moment. 

“Ohmygosh you’re gonna meet Fourteen! That’s your soulmate!” Thomas practically squealed. 

Logan broke composure after that, scoffing at Thomas but giggling nonetheless. 

“I suppose I am…!”

* * *

It took… a long time to console Patton, and even longer for someone to convince him to look at his wrist. In fact, it took one of the other doctors reading off the digits to Patton, which were lower than he remembered them being. Patton snatched his wrist away and stared at it in disbelief. 

“It… changed?” Patton asked, confused. 

The other doctors shrugged. “That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it?” One of his coworkers supplied. 

Patton nodded slowly, gradually regaining his composure. 

“Maybe you should take the rest of the day off, Pat?” His supervisor, Joan, suggested. 

Patton hung his head in shame but agreed. He grabbed what he needed from his office and made sure to lock his door before heading back to his apartment. 

The first thing he did when he arrived home was call Virgil. He picked up on the first ring. 

“Patton! Is everything okay?” Virgil asked, worried. 

Patton nodded, though he knew Virgil couldn’t see him through the phone. 

“Yeah, yeah Virge. I’m okay.” Patton’s voice was still thick with the tears from earlier. 

“Shit, Pat, you’re crying!” Virgil exclaimed in worry. “Are you at your apartment? I’m coming over.” Virgil declared. Patton could hear him call to Roman in another room, but he put his hand over the receiver so Patton only heard bits and pieces of the muffled conversation.

“W-wait, Virgil! You live four hours away!” Patton protested. 

“Yeah, so?” Virgil challenged. 

“That… that’s a lot.” Patton countered weakly. 

Patton could practically hear Virgil’s fond eyeroll. “Pat, I know you’d do the same for me. Now, just nod and agree and tell me what sort of comfort items I should pick up from the grocery on my way over there.” 

Patton let out a tearful giggle as he thanked Virgil (and requested the little bagel bites pizzas.) 

“Alright Pat, you got it. Do you need me to stay on the phone with you?” Virgil offered. 

Patton shook his head. “No, that’s okay. Thank you, Virge.” 

“Anytime, Pat. See you soon.” Virgil replied, hanging up and setting out on his journey to his best friend’s home. 

When Virgil arrived, they spent the night chatting, eating bagel bites (though they only had the cheese ones, so they finally ‘agreed’ on a topping), and watching movies together. Eventually, Patton showed Virgil the change in his number and explained what had happened. Virgil gently consoled him and helped him see how this could be good in the end. This could help his soulmate find him faster. Patton nodded along, calmed by the presence of his friend. 

Eventually, they fell asleep on Patton’s sofa, a plate of half-finished bagel bites on the table in front of them as they curled into one another, sleeping soundly.

* * *

The numbers ticked down quicker than ever. Patton often found himself staring at them when he wasn't busy. It was just… overwhelming. He knew that this meant his soulmate was closer than ever, but it felt like they were almost as far away as when the fourteen first appeared, when the fourteen wouldn’t change. 

It was a weekend when the numbers slowed to a crawl. Patton supposed he should be glad that his soulmate wouldn’t come crashing into him at sub-lightspeed, but at this point, he was so anxious and excited that he almost wished they would! 

“Two hundred thirty-seven thousand, eight hundred forty-one?” Roman read off of Patton’s wrist. 

“Mmhm!” Patton hummed as Roman looked at Patton’s wrist in confusion. 

“It’s… still moving though!” Roman exclaimed, puzzled. 

Patton nodded. “Yep.” 

“How far away is that? Does anyone know how far away that is?” Roman called into the next room, where Virgil, Emile, and Remy were all hanging out. All of Patton’s friends were there to support him as the numbers got smaller and smaller. 

“The moon!” Virgil yelled back, accompanied by an amused snort from Remy and an exasperated sigh from Emile. 

“It’s a little closer than the moon!” Emile corrected, playfully smacking Virgil on the back of the head. 

“Ow!” Virgil protested, though he was just being dramatic. 

Patton took a deep breath. 

“Do you think it’s gonna be today? I mean, they’ve been moving so quickly for how far we think they had to go, it’s not that far fetched to think they’d make it tonight, is it?” 

Patton was obviously trying (and failing) to hide the hope in his voice, his eyes so bright and hopeful that they betrayed his tone. 

“I… I don’t know, Pat,” Roman admitted. And oh, Patton looked so crestfallen no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Roman wished he could snap his fingers and bring Patton his soulmate _right now_. 

Roman pulled Patton into a soft, warm hug. 

“Soon, Pat. Not long now. Soon, I promise…” 

They sat there for a few moments, Roman not mentioning the growing wet spots on his shoulder and Patton not making a sound as he cried. He didn’t know why he was crying! He should be happy, excited, compared to when he first got his mark, his soulmate was _so close_ , Patton just wanted to know, he wanted them to be here and them to _hold him-_

“Hey, Pat?” 

Virgil stood in the doorway, brow knit in concern. 

“You okay, buddy?” 

Patton let out a choked sob. 

“They’re… so close. I really… I really wanna meet them. I wanna do _everything_ with them…! I…” 

Virgil gingerly placed a hand on Patton’s shoulder. 

“Wanna come sit with the rest of us? We can just chat, maybe take your mind off things?” Virgil offered. 

Patton sniffled and nodded. “Yeah… Yeah, that sounds good.” 

So they sat and talked and (of course) ordered a pizza, no one complaining about Patton’s odd choice of toppings. They watched movies, told stories, and just gave up the thoughts of the world around for the night, and Patton fell asleep among his friends with his number slowly creeping closer to one.

* * *

Logan’s number was only an inky black twenty when he reached the ground. The Earth’s sun was just peeking over the horizon as they stepped out of the small transport they’d hidden in a nearby wooded area. 

“Toward the city?” Logan guessed, looking to Thomas for guidance. 

Thomas nodded. “Yeah, that’d probably our best bet. Lead the way, Logan! We’re gonna find Fourteen!” 

Logan nodded determinedly as he set out for the city. Thomas had made sure they were prepared. He’d found some more Earth-like clothes for them and convinced command to send them some Earth currency, specifically for this place they were called ‘Florida.’ 

Logan and Thomas rented some bicycles as they neared the city, making their journey significantly less taxing. Logan was glad that the bikes were similar to the ones back home, he was afraid he’d look like an idiot trying to figure them out! 

Logan looked down at his wrist and smiled. An old, familiar number was stamped there, one he’d come to loathe but was now quite happy to see. 

_14_

“I’ll see you soon, Fourteen,” Logan mumbled, picking up the pace as he pedaled onward.

* * *

Patton awoke rather unceremoniously to someone banging on his door. 

“Hello? I… are you home?” Someone called with an accent Patton couldn’t quite place. 

“I… oh, this is going to sound stupid… Fourteen?” 

Patton shot up from his position on the couch, which also woke up all of his friends. 

“Wh… Pat? Is everythin’ alrigh’?” Virgil mumbled, voice still sluggish from sleep. 

“I think it’s them…” Patton whispered, pointing to the door. 

Virgil was wide awake now, ushering Patton to the door and kicking Roman to wake him up. 

“Get up, Sleeping Beauty,” Virgil teased as Roman groaned and begged for five more minutes. 

Patton wasn't paying attention to his friends’ antics anymore. It felt like his whole world was encompassed in his front porch and entryway, just a door separating him from the one who could be his soulmate. 

“Wrong door, maybe?” A new voice suggested. 

“No… it’s this one. It has to be!” The first voice sounded very sure of themself. 

Patton placed his hand to the door. His eyes widened as the number on his wrist ticked down from one to zero. Ever so cautiously, he opened his door. 

“Hello…?” 

Logan forgot how to breathe upon seeing the person facing him. A soft face, features delicately pinched with worry. Hopeful eyes the color of the sky with golden curls that framed them _just right_ … Logan was speechless. 

“You’re beautiful…” they spoke first, blue eyes filling with wonder. 

Logan finally broke out of his stupor, a relieved smile taking over his face. He raised his wrist to show the inky black zero and asked, 

“Fourteen?” 

The person in front of him laughed, joyful tears springing up in the corner of those beautiful blue eyes. 

“It’s Patton, actually. Who might you be?” 

_Patton_. Even his name sounded soft. Everything about Logan’s soulmate seemed so soft, and kind, and… everything he’d ever hoped for.

“I’m Logan, and I’m… I’m so happy to finally meet you…!” Logan admitted, relief and wonder and excitement all coursing through him at once. 

“Well, Logan, why don’t you come inside? We can… we can figure things out after breakfast, maybe?” Patton offered, carefully, hopefully, a timid smile making his features light up. 

Logan nodded. “I… yes, Patton,” and Logan _loved_ the way his name felt, “that sounds perfect.”

Once they’d made it inside Patton couldn’t contain himself anymore. He finally launched forward and threw his arms around Logan, his soulmate. His _soulmate!_ He could hardly believe it! His soulmate!

“I’m so happy you’re here…” Patton whispered so only Logan could hear. 

Logan hugged back, firm and grounding, like he would never let go. 

“I… me too, Patton. Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yaaay! This was my first time writing a soulmate work, I hope it made sense!!


End file.
